Owners Review - Volkswagen Golf R MK7

I’ll start by introducing the car. It’s a late 2015 Volkswagen Golf R in Lapiz Blue - YES ANOTHER ONE! I’ve owned this car for just short of 4 months now, but 4000 miles later I feel it’s time to write a bit of a review on the car. I’ll link a video at the bottom of this article which explains why I picked the Golf R over its competition, that being the A45 AMG, FK8 Civic Type R, BMW 135i/140i, the Audi S3 and the MK3 Ford Focus RS. We’ll cut a long story short and say that the Golf does everything incredibly well.

The model which I own is a relatively basic specification, which may put some people off, but even at its most basic, the R comes very well equipped. However I must admit, coming from a 2009 Ford Focus ST3, most modern cars did seem a bit spaceship like.

We’ll start with the exterior then. Lapiz blue is an incredibly deep colour and being exclusive to the R, it’s quite noticeable on the streets. My particular car has the 18” Cadiz wheels, which by no means are a bad wheel, just the 19” optional Pretoria wheels are a little more aesthetically pleasing albeit a bit “soft”. With all Golf R’s, you have the option of Matte Chrome wing mirrors, and the front of the vehicle is adorned in very thin slithers of chrome.

Around the rear, we have a relatively tame rear diffuser, alongside 4 exhaust pipes, yes, 4! This is another signature trait of the modern Golf R. One thing which has been noted by the press, owners and reviewers is that the Golf is subtle, it’s understated and flies under the radar most of the time. Some people like it and others prefer a much more aggressive look. Either way, the Volkswagen Golf R, isn’t a bad looking car.

Moving on in to the interior then, you’re greeted by a rather futuristic looking dash, laden in black gloss panels, a large multimedia touch screen, blue needles, and a lot of buttons on the steering wheel. First impressions aside I must say that it’s a lot less complicated than it looks, very inviting indeed. The MK7 Golf was Volkswagens latest attempt at creating a driver focused cabin, with the centre console slightly angled towards the driver, by no means at the detriment of passengers. It’s a very subtle change, but one I am extremely happy with.

If we take a look at the seats, you’re greeted by a rather suave looking mix of cloth and alcantara, there were other options available from factory, but I’m incredibly happy with the cloth seats. They’re extremely comfortable, figure hugging but even for a big guy, it isn’t too bad at all.

Moving on to performance then, the juicy stuff! The Golf R comes equipped with a 2.0 Petrol Engine producing 300ps, roughly 296bhp and 280lb-ft of torque. Pair that with Volkswagens 4Motion (or Haldex) system, and you have yourself a relatively small hatchback capable of sending you from 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, the manual version notches that up to 5.4 but either way, it’s an incredibly fast car.

When you’re driving around casually, it may not feel like you’re driving anything too special, as mentioned in the video linked below, the A45 AMG and Civic Type R FK8 definitely have more of a presence about them with the aggressive aero. But when you’re pressing the loud pedal of the R, it creates a presence, the power is extremely linear, making for a rather entertaining drive. The 4Motion system plants the car on the road in nearly ALL circumstances, and however hard I’ve been pushing it, it hasn’t broken grip yet.

If you’re into modifying cars, then the Golf R is a good option. A few simple modifications can see this car produce 400bhp, and 0-60 seconds in the region of 3.2-3.5 seconds, which I have to admit is extremely impressive, considering supercars of yesteryear were sometimes struggling for them times. To round off this rather informal review, I want to go back and speak around why I bought it. The Golf is a car that does everything well, with no fuss. It doesn’t crave attention, and it goes about its tasks in a rather clinical fashion. I’d describe the Golf almost like a scalpel, you tell it what to do, and it will do it. Comparing that to the BMW 140i being like a sledge hammer, and a bloody good one at that.

What are your thoughts? Have you had an opportunity to drive a MK7 Golf R? Drop your comments down below and be sure to take a look at my YouTube video where I explain my reasons behind picking the Golf over it’s competition.